http://nickberardi.com/Ghost 0.5Sun, 07 Jun 2020 06:42:35 GMT60Update (2010-12-30): I have updated the OData URI locations below, because of a recent move and re-architecture by the StackExchange team.

…if you just want to play with the data, it’s kind of tedious: you have to download the entire 700 plus megabyte archive, import it into some kind of database system — and only then can you even begin thinking about how to query out the results you’re looking for.

This hurdle has stopped me from performing some basic queries that I would like to know on the spot. But that is no longer the case, and I am going to show you how you can get started querying Stack Overflow from a tool called LINQPad.

First Things, First

You need to download LINQPad, which is a general learning and development tool for composing and executing LINQ queries. After you have downloaded and installed the application you will have a screen that looks like this: